fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfa-bri-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

transitive verb

1

a

: invent, create

b

: to make up for the purpose of deception

accused of fabricating evidence

2

: construct, manufacture

specifically : to construct from diverse and usually standardized parts

Their plan is to fabricate the house out of synthetic parts.

fabricator

ˈfa-bri-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• produce
• make
• manufacture
• create

Examples of fabricate in a Sentence

Only the largest parts were fabricated at the factory.

Their plan is to fabricate the house out of synthetic materials.

a story fabricated to sell magazines

She was accused of fabricating data.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jefferson County sheriff’s officials later said Heskett had fabricated the suspect and stabbed himself. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025

These recovered materials are then used to fabricate new fuel, reducing the volume and long-term radiotoxicity of the final nuclear waste. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025

There is no evidence that the texts have been fabricated. —Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

An internal company investigation found that its COO had fabricated 2019 sales by $310 million. —Ryan Baker, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fabricaten, borrowed from Latin fabricātus, past participle of fabricāre, fabricārī "to fashion, shape, construct," derivative of fabrica "process of making something, craft, art" — more at fabric

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for fabricate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfab-ri-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

1

: invent sense 2, create

2

: to make up in order to deceive

fabricated evidence to support her claim

3

: construct sense 1, manufacture

fabrication

ˌfab-ri-ˈkā-shən

noun

fabricator

ˈfab-ri-ˌkāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfa-brə-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

transitive verb

: to make up (as testimony) with an intent to deceive

intransitive verb

: to make something up with an intent to deceive

there was a motive to fabricate

—Gary Taylor